Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) is a leading technology to succeed optical lithography for high volume
production of 22 nm node and beyond. One of the top risks for EUVL is the readiness of defect-free masks, especially
the availability of Mo/Si mask blanks with acceptable defect level. Fast, accurate and repeatable defect inspection of
substrate and multi-layer (ML) blank is critical for process development by both blank suppliers and mask makers. In
this paper we report the results of performance improvements on a latest generation mask blank inspection tool from
Lasertec Corporation; the MAGICS M7360 at Intel Corporation's EUV Mask Pilot Line. Inspection repeatability and
sensitivity for both quartz substrates (Qz) and ML blanks are measured and compared with the previous Phase I tool
M7360. Preliminary results of high speed scan correction mirror implementation are also presented